Health Net of the Northeast, which sold its membership and insurance licenses to UnitedHealthcare last year, plans to shutter its Shelton, Conn., offices by March 2012.

The economy took its toll on the individual disability insurance market last year, according to a new survey from JHA.

Two insurance bills, including one to allow captive insurers companies to operate in New Jersey, are expected to move through the state’s General Assembly.

Coming of a first quarter where it earned $396 million, Nationwide said it plans to fill 1,400 open positions across the country.

Outsourcing responsibilities to an outside vendor led Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Virginia to lay off 20 employees at its Roanoke, Va., office.

Capital BlueCross and its subsidiaries eliminated 182 positions March 31, the latest step in its effort to lower operating costs and improve its efficiency, and a sign its technology improvements are paying off, the company said.

A division of United Health Group is realigning some of its Medicare Advantage telephone sales functions in Florida, meaning the loss of 191 telesales positions March 31. Employees were told earlier this month.

Calling it a “regrettable but necessary” reduction of its workforce, Humana announced it will cut 2,500 positions this year, but balance that with 1,100 additional jobs in some departments, including medical-cost containment, specialty products and pharmacy management.

Allstate Corp. appears to be taking the first steps toward possibly eliminating as much as a quarter of its agent force because of low performance.

While no one is ready to declare that health reform initiatives being weighed by Congress are dead, Democrats and Republicans have very differing views of the condition of one final piece of comprehensive legislation.